EDITOR DES AND THE LITERARY GIFT THAT SHOCKED SANTA!.

Christmas is a time for giving. Even Editor Des is aware of this and realized he really ought to buy something for his guardian, Pauline Conolly. But what exactly?

She loves chocolate, but he wanted to get something a little more imaginative and appropriate. Hmm…… what might an editor buy for his writery employer/guardian?

Pauline at work (sort of)

She always has plenty of notebooks and pens, so that didn’t seem quite right. And then…….the proverbial light-bulb moment struck.

He thought of something that would make his editorial life far less stressful. Even better, it might lead to higher income for Pauline and better wages for himself!

Off he went Sydney with a case full of cash. He has never been trusted with a credit card.

Should be enough.

Waiting, waiting….

He eventually found just the right thing at a shop in Macquarie Street. There was a fair bit of money left over, so he spent it on lollies and milkshakes.

What takes your fancy young man?

Back home he carefully wrapped up the present. Note the stocking theme; rather creative. No words of affection on the card of course, as bears are not known for displaying sentiment. Besides, Editor Des has a testy relationship with Pauline. He puts it down to poor pay and a lack of appreciation for his valuable work in correcting her errors. She says he is cheeky and disrespectful.

Right on top of the pile,

When Santa Claus arrived on Christmas Eve he was delighted to see that Editor Des had been so thoughtful. So delighted that after he had unloaded his gifts he couldn’t resist taking a peek. He carefully removed the tape and slid out a little book. OMG!! He could barely believe his eyes;

OH, EDITOR DES!

Santa was horrified, and found himself in a moral dilemma. Should he replace the offending book with something a little more….. tasteful? And then he remembered that many, many years ago Pauline had written him a letter that read in part;

Please bring me a new trike, because Dad ran over the old one and it’s wheel fell off. I hope its not too much to ask.

‘Oh my goodness, it seems she never did get the hang of apostrophes‘, he muttered. ‘Maybe young Des has a point’.

Then Santa quietly slipped the little red book back in its wrapper, picked up his sack and went on his way;